School will finish at 12.40pm on Friday 16th December 2016. The Spring term begins on Tuesday 3rd January 2017 at normal time.

Friday will be our annual Christmas Jumper Day where students can wear their Christmas jumpers to support a national charity. Please bring in £1 donations. If you do not have a Christmas jumper, try and make an ordinary one a little bit festive with a splash of tinsel! There is no need to wear school uniform, providing pupils are wearing a festive jumper. All money raised will be donated to Save the Children. If you have any questions, please speak to Mrs Gibbs.

We look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year on 3rd January.

Wishing parents, carers, pupils and staff a very Merry Christmas!

This year's list of School Clubs and House Competitions has been published. With clubs ranging from art to science and Humanities to Poi Spinning there's bound to be something for you!
Also, following Matthews House's stunning victory last year in the House Competitions the heat is now on to see if the Reds can be beaten in this year's House Sports Competitions - a list of which has also been published by the PE Department. Find out what's going on and decide which competition you want to be a part of and do your House proud!
For details, please visit the School Clubs page by clicking the button below and GET INVOLVED!

Join us for our annual Open Evening on Thursday 6th October 2016 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Come and find out what makes King Edward VI High School a great place to learn and enjoy.

​New Leader of Year 7 and Transition
In September 2016, I will be taking over as Leader of Year 7 from Mrs Harte and look forward to meeting parents and pupils. Mrs Harte has not gone anywhere, but will be taking on a new role in school as Assistant Headteacher and SENCO.

New Blog
One of the ways to I will keep you informed will be this new Year 7 Blog. The blog aims to keep Year 7 pupils and parents up-to-date with news and information affecting your year group. This will launch fully in September. 

Get Ready for KEVI
For now, if you have any questions about starting at your new school in September, why not visit our brand new dedicated transition website, Get Ready for KEVI. On there you will find FAQs about starting at high school and our answers to them, information about uniform, contact information and what happens on the first day. Don't forget about our Summer Club too!

I look forward to meeting all new Year 7s on 7th September! Hope you all have a relaxing Summer break.

Kind regards,
​
Mr Lomas
Leader of Year 7 and Transition 
(from September 2016)

​Before we finish this term for the Summer break we want to pass on a bit of advice for those of you who play Pokémon Go. We know lots of you will have the App (as some of us do!) and it is lots of fun. Here are some tips to stay safe and uninjured when you play:

1. Keep your heads up! I know it is easy to get glued to your phone screen, especially if there's a rare close by. Please remember the lampposts, pillars and buildings will not move out of your way whilst you chase a Snorlax.

2. Please remember to stick to the rules you've been taught about keeping yourselves safe online and in real life. You won't know a lot of the people who you play alongside or battle with at Gyms. Don't be fooled by a false feeling of safety. Stick with people you know from your day-to-day life (family & friends).

3. Stick to safe spaces and appropriate times of the day. For example chasing Pokémon at 2am is not something we would advise. Please don't go adventuring through abandoned houses, building sites, remote places or out on to the M6 motorway!

4. Last but not least - please have respect for where you are. Stay out of Private Property! Remember not everybody will understand or even care that there's a Pikachu hiding in their back garden. There are places that require quiet and peace so shouting at the top of your voice 'There's a Jigglypuff over there!' will not be acceptable. Similarly avoid places where emergency work is needed to be done - hospitals, fire stations, police stations, etc. Use your common sense in these situations.

Remember these key bits of advice and have fun. I hope you find a Mew or Charizard soon!

Enjoy your summer and keep safe.

Shona Christey
Safeguarding Officer

A new way to pay for school dinners has arrived at King Edward VI High School. From today, the School Canteen will become a cashless canteen, whereby students will pay for their lunches and snacks without the need for cash!
​ParentPay is an online payment system for schools. It allows parents to pay quickly and securely for school meals.
You simply top-up your ParentPay account online by debit or credit card, or in cash through PayPoint stores. Payment by standing order and faster payments will be available soon. Your ParentPay balance can be used immediately to pay for any of your children’s items at any school using ParentPay.
Paying for your child’s school meals online gives you more control and greater visibility over the food choices they are making. ParentPay is a truly cashless catering system, making schools safer and giving you peace of mind.
There’s no need for children to take cash into school - you can top up your balance using one of the payment methods accepted.
Your balance will be updated daily based on the meals your child selects. 
View meal choices online in schools using compatible cashless till systems.
To see how this works, read our letter below or contact the school.

An open invite goes out to all Year 9-13 students along with their parents/carers to this exciting "Your Future" Evening on 8th December 2015. During the evening there will be a number of external providers, including employers, armed services, student finance specialists, and careers advisers. Teaching staff from KS4 and 5 will also be available to discuss with students and parents the possible pathway choices for the students' next stage in their career or programme of study.

The evening takes place on Tuesday 8th December from 6.00pm to 8.00pm.

The providers which have confirmed so far include:

AFCO Stoke RN
Aston University
Bangor University
Birmingham City University
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Entrust Careers
Equality Training
Hand Morgan & Owen Solicitors
Harper Adams University
Keele University
Lewis Partnership
Liverpool Hope University
Manchester Growth Company
Newman University
Perkins Engines
Staffordshire Police
Staffordshire University
Student Finance
Type Synergy
University of Birmingham
University College Birmingham
University of Surrey
University of Wolverhampton
University of Worcester
Duke of Edinburgh
Young Enterprise

Please contact Mrs Woodward ([email protected]) for more information.

Pupils in Year 8 are to take part in a new programme being rolled out across the school called PiXL Edge. 

​Employers and Universities have said they look for 5 core attributes in standout students: Leadership, Organisation, Initiative, Resilience andCommunication.
The PiXL Edge is a framework for schools to develop and accredit in students those personal attributes essential for employability and life. The Edge website is a way of pupils logging their achievements in and out of school under each of the five headings above.
​
Students will qualify at three levels:

• Level 1: PiXL Apprentice
• Level 2: PiXL Graduate
• Level 3: PiXL Master

At each level there are a variety of approved activities that students can undertake for each of the key attributes, the number of activities that need to be completed varies depending on the level. The activities are rated as level Apprentice, Graduate or Masters according to their duration, the size of the team involved and the number of people exposed to the activity.
Pupil login details will be provided by their Form Tutor – this login is unique to them and can be linked to their Google/Facebook account. Once a week, pupils will be working on their progress and updating their activities. They will also be able to access and edit their account via a mobile PiXL Edge app.

As a school which never stands still and is always looking to improve; we want our pupils to follow our footsteps and strive to be the best they can be. The Edge program will allow them to develop and be accredited for five key attributes essential for employability and life.

This begins in Year 8 when your child will be introduced to The Edge program and will start to log their activities and provide evaluations for each one. We hope this will encourage them to get involved in as many extra-curricular opportunities as possible both in and out of school – some of which they may have never even thought of before now!

There are numerous activities which your child can be accredited for; from something as simple as being a register monitor in form time to organising a small fundraising event in school for charity.

As parents we invite you to be part of their unique journey; encourage your child to talk to you regularly about their progress and achievements with the Edge. As a school we will be rewarding pupils as they complete their levels and for logging the most activities. We will also reward those pupils who show perseverance and true determination to complete activities.

We want to ensure that your child leaves our school not only with the best qualifications possible but with a myriad of personal attributes allowing them to stand out from the crowd and achieve their goals. Competition for University places and employment today is ever increasing and together we can help your child embrace this program which will undoubtedly give them the Edge.

If you are unsure about the Edge; how the program runs or have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using the details on the PiXL Edge webpage which can be accessed here. 

Report by Miss Cotton